European patent application n°1 187 423 describes methods of transmitting on-demand information whose content varies with time, like music or video. In particular, it describes a so-called buffering distribution method that consists in dividing a single piece of content into a plurality of files and in downloading the content file by file, starting from the first file. This buffering distribution method is described as providing the advantage of reducing the waiting time before starting playback (while part N is being downloaded, part N-1 can be played).
One of the objects of the invention is to propose improvements for such a distribution method.